Will grimaced.
Isabel stumbled in her new red shoes that were too big. She was holding the bouquet up side down and the pink daisy petals were falling, bruised and abandoned to the ground.
"Don't worry about it. They have people to clean that up" Beiste reassured, swatting his shoulder.
Thank God for Shannon who turned up on his doorstep three days ago with a pink bear for Issie and a nervous hug. She'd scrambled eggs and made Will eat them. She'd read 'Goodnight Moon' to Issie every night. She told Will when to go to the hospital and wait for news and when to come home, pretend everything was fine sing songs to the four year old with the cheeky dimples that would always make him laugh.
"I see!" the child pointed, dropping Beiste's hand and running into the room.
Will sighed and swallowed.
"I'll wait out here," Beiste said, taking a seat on the sofa and staring through the glass wall. "Everything is fine Schuester" she grinned with a nod.
Will could only bring himself to stand in the doorway and watch with watery eyes.
"Mommy, you slept for too long!" chided their child with one palm flat on her mother's shoulder and a fist toying in her own long strawberry lochs. The daisy's went unnoticed at the foot of the bed.
Emma smiled and Will's whole body was shaking. He was so close to losing her.
"You know what though? I dreamt about you and Daddy the whole time" she moved her arm and let her hand flutter over her daughter cheek, marvelling at the little face that looked more like Will everyday.
"For three whole days?"
"Yes, Bug. The whole time" Emma sighed with exhaustion. Her whole body alternated between aching and searing pain since she woke up an hour ago and screamed for the nurses to call her family.
"Are you all better?" Issie turned her head to the side and Emma wondered how she got that Virginia twang in her accent.
With a prolonged blink she spoke through tears she didn't know were in her.
"Well I still have some boo-boos-"
"From where the car was naughty?"
"Uh-ha. My neck is a little sore and the nice doctors have to put some bits of metal in my leg…" The child was wide eyed, taking in every foreign feature. The neck brace, the bandages, the tubes that snuck around corners until you couldn't see where they ended up.
"I'm very happy you're awake again Mommy" Issie whispered, scuffing her shoes absently. "Daddy has been sad and The Beiste made up a new game and I get the be the Princess and she is the donkey".
At the innocent mention she let herself look at him. Her brave, handsome husband who was trying to shrink into the doorframe. His mouth hung open, his eyes were heavy.
It hurt to look at him.
When he spoke it sounded like gravel.
"Hey Bug why don't you go and show The Beiste how you can count the coins for the vending machine?"
Issie's features lit up and she darted towards the door, leaving Emma amazed at her speed.
"I'm going to find a cookie for you out of the machine!"
"Oh yeah?" he mused putting a fistful of coins clumsily in her coat pocket and chuckling a little at her newfound pride. "If you find a chocolate chip one we can go halfsies"
"Deal!" she said with an affirmative nod. They listened as tiny, awkward footsteps tottled along the corridor and Beiste's deep and endearing tone faded and then they were alone.
Emma swallowed and it hurt and he could tell and it made him sick.
She motioned for him to come closer with her free arm and cleared her throat. He ignored the cracked vinyl in the chair and sat, scooting closer to her.
She grabbed his hand, it was freezing.
"… It's okay" she whispered, doing her best to look him in the eye. It was difficult with the brace on when he kept looking down.
"….Will… everything's fine. I'm fine…" she soothed he continued to cling to her hand.
"…Sorry…" he choked. "It's just…I thought you were-"
"But I'm not" she croaked and he let out a violent sob that he'd held in since Wednesday night when the police called and said there was an accident.
"I couldn't breathe!" he was becoming hysterical. "I can't do it without you!"
"Come here…" she lamented, lifting her arm and making a pocket on the blanket to rest his head.
"No, I'll break something" he said between shaky breaths.
"You won't. Will. Please" she sounded strong and it comforted him. He lay his head next to her check and she gently raked fingers through his curls and whispered soothing, nonsensical noises.
Issie spilt chip crumbs over the sofa, her father's cookie long forgotten in the machine. She looked at her parents through the glass, clinging to each other with their eyes closed.
"I think we should wake them up. It's almost my bed time" she said matter-of-factly to Beiste who dwarfed her on the next cushion.
"I don't think they're asleep. Look, they're moving" And they were. Emma glided her hand slowly over Will's cheek and neck and then moved back to his hair. "They're just having a rest, Little Schue" she smiled kindly and the perplexed, doe eyed child.
"Why are they tired?"
"Well… your Mom and Dad worry about each other. A lot! And sometimes it makes them tired and crazy"
"Why?" Issie asked.
"Because they love each other very much" Beiste sipped her almost cold coffee before continuing. "You know, a long time ago before you were even born, your Mom and Dad got so tired and confused that they pretended not to love each other. And then one day your Mommy stormed into the special grown ups room at the high school and she said that she had had enough and that she really loved your Daddy very much…"
"…and then what happened?" Issie was clearly entertained, chips scattered on the floor beneath her.
"…Well, then they were both very happy and one day they came to school extra happy and do you know why?"
"Why?" her big eyes lit up.
"Because they were going to have a little baby girl and call her Isabel and she was going to be the most perfect Little Schue in the whole world!"
"And then did they get tired and crazy again?"
"Oh yeah! You're Daddy went nuts fussing over your Mommy…."
"…Hey look! They are sleeping!" Will and Emma were still, their chest rising and falling in tandem.
"We should get you home to bed"
"Will you tell me that story again?"
"Sure thing Little Schue". Hand in hand, the dwarf and the giant left the grown ups alone to sleep, hoping they wouldn't wake up tired and crazy.